It Was a Dark and Stormy Night when the rental car Rupert and his parents are driving to Rose Heath Cottage runs out of gas right in front of the spooky, rundown Wormeton Castle, which the current Earl, Alfred, is fortunately operating as a bed and breakfast. He rents the Bears a room and apologizes for the state of the place. See, according to family legend, his ancestor and first Earl of Wormeton, Sir Francis, was secretly a pirate, who hid his plunder somewhere in the castle. If it was real and Alfred could find it, it would solve all his financial problems, but no one's ever been able to find it, and Alfred insists it's not a true story anyway.
Rupert's not so sure and leaves his room that night to follow a ghostly figure he's sure is Sir Francis. It's a good thing he did because when he gets back, his parents are gone and their room ransacked. The only other people staying in the castle, two workmen named Milton and Monty, have disappeared, too, and Alfred disappears just after he shows up and offers to help. Rupert searches the abandoned castle, but the only person he finds is the ghost... of Wally, Sir Francis' accountant, not malevolent at all and not behind the disappearances tonight. Now it's up to the two of them to figure out what's going on...
First episode to feature a real ghost as opposed to a legend or rumor.
This episode provides examples of:
- Accidental Misnaming: Wally blows his chance of posing as the ghost of the feared pirate Sir Francis when he introduces himself as "the ghost of St. Francis!"
- Admiring the Abomination: Rupert's reaction to staying in a creepy, crumbling, possibly haunted castle? "Fantastic!"
- Beneath Notice: The villains who are after Sir Francis' treasure gain access to the castle by posing as workmen.
- Closed Circle: The Bears run out of gas on a remote country road during a thunderstorm, and thus have no choice but to stay in the creepiest of all castles in the middle of nowhere.
- Distant Reaction Shot: Before he leaves, Rupert asks Wally to introduce himself to Alfred since he (naturally) wants them to be friends. As the Bears drive away, they hear Alfred screaming from back in the castle.
- Dressed to Plunder: Since Wally (an accountant) isn't the most intimidating ghost, he and Rupert try disguising him as the ghost of the pirate Sir Francis, with the most pirate-y garb they can find.
- Friendly Ghost: Wally.
- Ghost Butler: When the Bears approach the castle, the front door opens on its own with apparently no one around. Mr. Bear halfheartedly suggests it must be an automatic door...
- Haunted Castle: Wormeton Castle.
- It Was a Dark and Stormy Night:Rupert: Wow! Stuck in the middle of nowhere during a thunderstorm! You were right, Dad — this is going to be an exciting holiday!
- It's Probably Nothing:Mrs. Bear: Dear... what was that noise?Mr. Bear: The wind. I'm sure it was the wind...
- Jacob Marley Apparel: Wally doesn't have chains to rattle, but when he and Rupert try to make him appear more intimidating to scare away the villains, they add chains to his look. Since they had to use real chains, all they do is get in the way, until Wally stops trying to scare Milton and Monty and uses the chain to tie them up.
- Red Herring: The Earl of Wormeton, Alfred, sounds like he's hiding something. Turns out, he really is just an Impoverished Patrician trying to raise enough money to fix up his ancestral home and has no malicious scheme of any kind.
- Shout-Out:Milton: Just think, Monty. Once we find that treasure, it'll be paradise!Monty: Yeah, but if we don't find it, it'll be paradise lost, Milton.
